Housing developers tour Charles City for prospective project

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Housing Committee is courting another developer with potential interest in building new homes in the community.

On Thursday, August 1, representatives from Kading Properties visited Charles City as part of the company’s “Hometown Tour,” where they meet with local leaders in communities across Iowa while searching for new development opportunities.

Based out of Urbandale, the family-owned company develops, constructs, leases, and manages properties in 28 locations, mostly around central Iowa.

Specializing in single-story townhouses, Kading is considering Charles City as a potential development location due to the city’s recent designation as a Thriving Community by the Iowa Finance Authority, which can help a project qualify for valuable tax credits. In this case, the city is eligible for workforce housing tax credits that could be applied to a project.

A team of Kading representatives toured the community on Thursday, visiting with area employers both on site and at a meet-and-greet lunch at the NIACC Career Center.

“We figured if we brought them here and have a conversation, that would be a start,” said housing committee member Emily Garden.

Representatives from Pure Prairie Poultry, the Charles City Community School District, Floyd County Medical Center, and Zoetis attended the panel to answer questions the visitors may have about workforce housing.

“They all have employees that have expressed housing needs,” said Mayor Dean Andrews.

The group discussed nationwide housing trends along with local housing needs.

Another part of the Thriving Community designation made the community eligible for  low income housing tax credits, and a project that will utilize those credits along with other state and federal funding, the 40-unit Carrie Lane Place apartment complex, officially broke ground last week.

Even with that development which is expected to begin construction next spring, it was emphasized that Charles City continues to have need of new housing for every level of income and age demographic.

Taking a comprehensive tour of the city, the housing committee is optimistic about the potential for a future partnership with Kading that could see the development of new duplexes, fourplexes, or even sixplexes.

“They have an excellent track record of maintain their properties and keeping them up to a high standard,” said Garden. “We are really excited for our potential future with them.”